Ryan Mackenzie, a first-term GOP congressman representing the СŷƵ, joined nearly all of his fellow Republicans to pass a massive $3.3 trillion spending bill that will extend tax cuts and reduce funding for programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
Mackenzie released a statement lauding the bill’s passage minutes after the narrow final vote, 218-214. It will now go to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law; he is expected to do so Friday.
“As we began this term, we understood what the people of the Greater СŷƵ were counting on: lower costs, a stronger economy, secure borders, and policies that put America First,” Mackenzie said in a written statement. “This budget follows through on those priorities — delivering tax relief to local families, supporting small businesses, protecting essential benefits for vulnerable populations, and providing the resources to modernize our military and secure the border once and for all.”
The bill, which had been called the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” by Trump, will extend and broaden tax cuts for most Americans, though the steepest benefits will come to the wealthiest Americans, Congressional Budget Office analysis shows. The bill permanently extends the Child Tax Credit, eliminates taxes on tips and overtime and broadens tax breaks for small businesses.
Only two House Republicans — , and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — broke ranks and voted against the bill.
The bill will inject an additional $30 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to carry out arrests and deportations, and $46.5 billion to Customs and Border Control to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. It will limit access to Medicaid and SNAP, largely by implementing work requirements for those receiving benefits and forcing states to spend more of their own money on the programs.
Even with the savings from cuts to those programs, the bill is expected to increase federal debt by $3.3 trillion over the next decade, according to Congressional Budget Office projections.
Rebukes from Mackenzie’s prospective opponents in the 2026 midterm elections and other Democrats were swift. Critics honed in on the cuts to safety net programs like Medicaid and SNAP. An analysis from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office found that 310,000 Pennsylvanians will lose their health insurance, 140,000 Pennsylvanians will lose food assistance and 25 rural hospitals are at risk of closing due to funding cuts in the bill.
All three Democratic candidates running for Mackenzie’s seat issued immediate statements condemning the bill.
“Ryan Mackenzie promised to lower prices. Instead, he voted to pass a Republican budget that will raise costs and gut Medicaid — all to give billionaires another giant tax break,” said Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure in a statement. “Trump and Mackenzie’s budget will be devastating for Pennsylvania families.”
“Congressman Ryan Mackenzie just put partisan politics ahead of Pennsylvanians and voted for a bill that is truly awful: It makes the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, it is going to increase Pennsylvania energy costs at a time when families are struggling with rising prices, and its extreme cuts to clean energy tax credits will eliminate good-paying jobs here at home,” said Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor who is also running for the seat. “And all of this will add trillions to our national debt — our children will have to foot that bill.”
“Once again, Ryan Mackenzie took the coward’s way out and put loyalty to billionaires and Donald Trump over the needs of families in PA-07,” said Carol Obando-Derstine, a former PPL executive and regional manager for former Sen. Bob Casey who’s also seeking the Democratic nomination. “People here are struggling to afford healthcare and put food on the table, but Ryan Mackenzie just voted to gut Medicaid and food assistance, which could take healthcare away from 17,519 people and food off the table for 6,096 more in our district.”
Reporter Lindsay Weber can be reached at Liweber@mcall.com.
